#thirdrateduelist

Under any normal circumstances, Yugi would never call Joey at this time of day.  It couldn’t even really be considered day considering the sun hadn’t come up yet.  But these weren’t normal circumstances.

He’d already called Joey twice with no response and he was on his third call.  He felt bad that he was probably waking him up, but if he didn’t talk to someone, he felt like he might explode.

"Did you just use the word gaggle?"

" Joey? Is that you? ” After graduation a few months back, their friend group had stayed as close as they could, but it remained a rarity to see them all in one place. They’d all gotten wrapped up in going wherever their lives pulled them, so as a whole, there hardly seemed to be any time. So, seeing him outside his apartment surprised him. He didn’t live in exactly the most upstanding neighborhood, so he hardly expected many unprompted social calls.

He’ll step aside, silently inviting entry into his home. That was when he noticed the strange way his friend carried himself. Leaning outside, he glanced left and right, verifying there was no one outside before ushering him inside and closing the door. 

@thirdrateduelist​ replied to this post: Did someone say Red-Eyes?!

Don't be a third rate duelist, with a fourth rate deck.

I activate my trap card!

Honestly, Joey came here on a high of emotions. It almost felt patronizing to be ignored for so long. Kaiba was a person who liked to brag and show off, wasn’t he? At least that’s how Joey saw it. He  wasn’t his best friend or anything, but when KaibaCorps biggest asset is now off the air, it was a bit concerning to say the lease. Now, why did Joey care? Well, despite their back and forth, he still respected him a little bit.

He knocked hard on the door that he…at least thought was this guy’s house. It seemed to be the right place, according to the map he had printed out. He hadn’t been here all too much…This was honestly a bit daunting, and his emotions had waned as he got here. He sighs a little bit. Here goes, he thought. He came all the way out here, didn’t he? He might as well see what’s up. He’ll call out.

“Ey! You in dere? It ain’t like ya ta just be silent! You usually like to gloat bout your newest doohickey! What gives?”

The imposing form of Kaiba Manor loomed above Joey’s head as he knocked.  The knocking was, of course, an unpleasant surprise for Seto.  Not that he could really hear it from his home office, but he could see the blonde mutt standing on his doorstep through his doorbell camera.  He scoffed.  Why would he even be here?

He knew Joey wasn’t going to go away, and most of his servants had been dismissed since his accident.  Either he answered the door or he would spend hours listening to... that.  He sighed.  He didn’t want anyone to see him in this state, but at a certain point, he figured it couldn’t possibly get any worse than it already was.  He stood up and pulled on some more acceptable clothes and brushed his hair out of his face a little before making his way downstairs to answer the door.

Seto looked awful.

The dark circles under his eyes nearly reached down to his cheekbones.  His skin was even paler than usual, and it was obvious the already-lanky man had lost a good amount of weight.  He wasn’t nearly as put together as he usually was, his hair all a mess and his clothes put on haphazardly.  A huge scar cut down his left temple and disappeared into his hairline.  The most obvious change, however, was his left arm.

It wasn’t there.

The smell of burning sage and lavender filled the candlelit room, and a single bell chimed. Bakura’s Ouija Board sat on the floor in front of him as he finished his preparations The planchette rests on the G symbol, and a pure silver coin rests near the center. Ryou wanted very much to avoid malicious spirits. But still, it had been some time since he’d tried something like this. He couldn’t help but feel excited!

“ Let’s see... “ He ran down his mental checklist. White candles, check. Sage and lavender, check...  Silver? Triple check. Don’t forget that one. His finger rests on the pointer, and he takes a breath. Clear mind? Check. His list of questions sat to his side. The bell chimes a total of three times, and he sets it aside, his touch on the planchette gentle, yet firm. Right, then...